Thank you for the transcription. I did read the original and understood most of it. But we are now getting into more specific news from Tano and others, so transcriptions from the Sicilian dialect really do help and go a long way to ensuring that mistakes in understanding DON'T occur.

The letter of 27th April 1946 from Stefano... From Luca's ranscription.

Pag. 1
Belmonte Mezzagno 27 April 1946.

My dear sister-in-law and brother. After many years that we haven't corresponded, I hasten to write you this note: all of us are well, and I hope it is the same for all of you. Well you should know that Giuseppe (maybe Giuseppa?) and Ignazio by way of (perhaps in the sense that he received the news from Carmela) of your (your of Giuseppa?) sister Carmela that we are near to and we hold respect for as if two sisters (brothers?), I offer you my condolences for your dear son who is dead: you cannot know what sorrrow that I felt even though I never knew my nephews, but I tell you that the call of blood is very strong; Giuseppa and Ignazio blessed be your dear son and do not cry, but say a rosary and ask that God will give him eternal rest and will carry him in glory to the Holy Paradise. You are right that children are not xxx, but are the blood of our veins...

Pag. 2
... the children are the joy and the peace of a house; I too have a son of 22 years who seems a flower (!), and in the month of April they called him to be a soldier and he stayed for only 15 days and was then sent home: to me it seemed as if it was 15 months! I can imagine you mother and father - in what a pitiful state (tormented) your hearts are. Only God and the Madonna can comfort you: it was the Lord who sent him to the other life at such a young age.
Be brave and bless your dear son. I bless my dear dead nephew and we too have grieving blood over the death of our father, our mother Filippa and our sister Concettina and your dear son too. Be brave. Unfortunately we are still too far away, forgive me if I have spoken (written) too much when you have the pain in your heart. I will stop writing: Giuseppa and Ignazio accept many dear kisses and a perticular kiss to your children, wishes from the other brothers and sisters, believe me your brother-in-law Stafano Dragotto. Give this note to Giuseppa..

The nephew to whom Tano refers is my Uncle Russell. He died of pneumonia in Dec of 1945 in an army hospital in Calhoun, Georgia either during or shortly after completing boot camp. He was the second male born and I would have thought he would have been named after my grandmother's father, Salvatore Monte. As I have mentioned before, the family began referring to themselves as Degrotto around the mid 1930's. By the 1930 census everyone was using an "Americanized" given name so he appears as Russell. It is also a bit odd that I have been unable to locate the family in any census prior to 1930 although I had fully expected to find some trace of them.

Yes, although I do have that information. The unsolved mystery for me is his given name aside from finding out more about him as a person. I find it difficult to believe that his name was Russell. The "S" has been generally accepted to be "Samuel" and I find that unlikely as well. I won't resolve this until I write to the State of Pennsylvania for a copy of his birth certificate. I have stumbled across a photo of a local military unit ( Salem, NJ), a National Guard unit posted on an internet site--my uncle is in that group photo. Salvatore Monte emigrated in 1903 and his wife and children followed in 1907(the oldest son Gaetano came separately later in 1907). My grandfather Ignazio emigrated in 1906. Aside from draft registration cards for one of the Monte sons, Calogero, traces of either family prior to 1930 are non-existent.

Luca,
Curiosity can be a hard taskmaster. Although we see both forest and trees, it may appear that we see neither. The notions of awe or wonderment are not lost on me. A poet friend of mine wrote a line in one of his poems which I have never forgotten: I never question gifts.

Luca,
Curiosity can be a hard taskmaster. Although we see both forest and trees, it may appear that we see neither. The notions of awe or wonderment are not lost on me. A poet friend of mine wrote a line in one of his poems which I have never forgotten: I never question gifts.

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